Macron presides over ceremony honoring French victims of Hamas-led attacks

French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel as "the largest antisemitic attack of our century". Speaking at a ceremony in Paris to commemorate the French victims of the attacks, Macron described the event as the largest slaughter of French nationals since the 2016 Bastille Day attack in Nice. A total of 42 French and dual French-Israeli nationals were killed in the attacks, with three still missing and presumed to be held hostage by Hamas. Macron drew parallels between the 7 October attacks and previous jihadist attacks in France, denouncing the spread of antisemitism. The ceremony, held outside of Israel for the first time, was attended by relatives of the victims and representatives from political parties. The far-left party France Unbowed faced criticism for refusing to label Hamas a "terrorist" group, prompting relatives of the victims and hostages to criticise their presence at the ceremony. France has the largest Jewish community in Europe, with a community of almost 500,000, and an additional 100,000 living in Israel. During the attacks last year, over 1,200 people were killed in southern Israel, and tens of thousands were injured in the subsequent war.